[New therapeutic methods against rheumatoid arthritisp6. Antibodies against TNFalpha significant for the progress]

This review, which is the second part of an abstract from a book-length work in English, describes the great advances made in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. After the failure of anti-CD4 therapy, the macrophage has gained prominence as the prime mover in rheumatoid synovitis. The proinflammatory, macrophage-derived cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha has in particular been implicated as an important therapeutic target. The clinical trials carried out with antibodies against this cytokine, as well as various approaches towards cytokine-modulating gene therapy in rheumatoid arthritis, are described.